The Saxmayer

The National Bundle Tyer Co of Michigan, USA, introduced the Saxmayer automatic rope-tying machine into the UK in 1956. It was used by magazine and newspaper printers as it speeded-up the bundle tying process. It was the first fully automatic machine in the world using heavy sisal cord in a variety of thicknesses, and it made the tying operation very quick and simple. Bundles on the machine table made contact with a trip bar and were automatically moved by feed arms to the tying position. A compressor came down on the bundle to drive out the air, and the cord was then taken round and tied tightly in a secure knot. The machine could take stacked bundles up to 24 inches high, and tying could be carried out in a single operation at speeds of 14 ties per minute, the ties could be placed in any position round the length or breadth of the bundle. Magazines and newspapers ran two machines in tandem. The second machine was placed at right angles to the first, and the train of bundles fed by a single operator passed through both machines, maintaining a continuous output of 14 bundles per minute. Almost any shape of bundle could be tied on the machine without any adjustment being required. Even small rolls of three or four papers could be handled and this was done by means of a pedal, without using the automatic feeder. Another important feature was the machine used considerably less cord than in hand-tying.